 |
The Chihuahua Chronicles "Mommy Come Quick! Smuckers needs Air!" |
 Site Index | |
Gasping for BreathReverse Sneezing Sucks(Deb does not approve of such lanugage!) "Reverse Sneezing" happens when my pharynx (back of my throat) goes into spasms. It's really hard draw in air with those spasms, so I stretch out my neck, stand still, gasp and wheeze. It sounds awful, but I wouldn't say it's particularly painful... just scary! Honest, scaring the living daylights out of my Annie-girl wasn't what I had in mind. But I was so happy to see her I got excited and then I got a little short of breath, and then I tried to breathe more and faster and... well... ? This time, I even scared Deb a little bit, my tongue was blue and cold when she opened up my mouth. She's always there to help me, but she doesn't know if this happens when no one is here, and how I cope with it. She still hasn't mastered my language, so I can't tell her about it, but so far, I'm fine. I'm also proud of my girls. They didn't even think about taking educational photos for the website until the day after my "fit"... (doggie laugh) Deb says baths and grooming are one thing, but air is a whole lot more important than pictures. Reverse sneezing might be triggered by excitement, cold air, dust, problems with the soft palate or a collapsing trachea. Some remedies for reverse sneezing might include closing the dog's nostrils so it will open the mouth to breathe, gentle reassurance and sometimes the use of a "command" word that gets attention, such as "treat", "play", "toy", or something like that is effective. Some pet owners stroke the dogs throat, cup their hand around its nose or simply pick it up to distract it from the distress. The golden key seems to be: "Get the dog to swallow." Then the sneezing will cease - sometimes immediately. Good health care habits will help a dog prone to sneezing. Clean teeth, exercise and a proper diet go a long way in any case. Collars may be aggrivating, and by NO means should a sharp tug ever be made on a delicate little dog's leash - that would be ASKING for breathing trouble. Chihuahuas and other toy dogs seem to be prone to reverse sneezing, but other dogs might have it too. Although repeated, severe episodes might lead to a collapsed trachea, the episodes are not as serious as a collapsed trachea, and not the same thing. Deb isn't too worried about a collapsed trachea yet, because from what she's read, the symptoms are more of a cough than a reverse sneeze. She is starting to make a note of how often my bouts occur though. It's not all that often, so she shouldn't worry. Reverse sneezing tends to be evident at an early age. Deb and the girls knew about this conditon when they adopted me, and my breeder, Joelle, taught them how to take care of it. A collapsing trachea is more likely to start later in life and develop with gradually worsening coughing or wheezing episodes. There is more information about collapsing trachea and reverse sneezing at It is important to have a vet (and an owner) familiar with and willing to learn more about toy breed dogs so symptoms like mine won't immediately be misdiagnosed as something requiring aggressive treatment like steroids, long-term medication or even surgery. A vet could start to wonder if an owner rushed their dog to the office every time it sneezed. It's important to know when an episode is manageable, and when it's an emergency. Listen to and follow your instincts when the lights and sirens go off that something is terribly wrong, get your dog to that trusted vet! |
 Esquivel and Fees Craftsmen | ||
| Agility Chihuahuas |  |
Clean Run Web Site |
| ||||||||
 |
Embroidered Chihuahua by sherri.mcmahon@worldnet.att.net |
 |
| Just type in " Chihuahua Embroidered " | ||